Downey resident pens first play, ‘Real Men Have Chichis’

DOWNEY — Ignacio Gonzalez is already known around Downey for his work with the Southern California Resource Center for Independent Living. He has dabbled in stand-up comedy.

Now, he can add playwright to his resume.

Gonzalez’s new — and first — play “Real Men Have Chichis” is preparing for a workshop stint at the Frida Khalo Theater in Los Angeles.

The play centers around young Latino man Lazaro, who is looking to become his own independent, healthy person and break free of his family’s loving suffocation and intoxicating food.

“His family wants to keep him close by, he wants to move away,” said Gonzalez. “They physically want him to be a part of the family and not leave and be more successful then they are, and they entice him also with all the good-tasting food. He wants to try to be healthy, and the rest of the family eats and drinks and is looking to have a good time.

“He’s financially, emotionally, health-wise wants to be an independent guy and he’s having a hard time sort of wiggling away from his family.”

Some of Gonzalez’s own personal experiences made it into the play.

“One is trying to get healthy,” said Gonzalez. “If you might’ve known me, I was a whole lot bigger than I am now. Since my heaviest 10, 12 years ago, I’ve lost like 140 pounds.

“Part of it, with the family, they do it out of love, they try to feed you and that’s how they show you support, by feeding you. Then, you turning food down, it’s something they might see as a slap in the face, like you’re insulting them. You’re supposed to take food because in our culture, we don’t have much, but we have food; that’s what I have to offer you, and if you turn that down, I don’t have anything else to offer you other than that, so it’s a big insult.”

Gonzalez was encouraged to write the play by writer Josefina Lopez - known for “Real Women Have Curves” – after he took her script writing class at Casa 0101 in Boyle Heights.

“At one point, she told me, ‘Hey, you should make the male version of Real Women Have Curves,’” said Gonzalez. “This was four years ago, maybe. So, I said, ‘Okay, I’ll give it a shot.’ I did the first 10 pages which she always asked for…and it was good, she liked it. Then, I kind of let it go and it was hard to keep going; I would pick it up, put it back down again.

“At the end of last year, she said ‘Hey, what happened to the play? If you do it now, we’ll put it on. I’ll look it over, we’ll produce it somewhere. I got to work, finished it up, and now here we are.”

“Real Men Have Chichis” runs for about an hour. It will run for six shows over three weekends, Fridays and Saturdays, from May 12 to May 27 at 8 pm.

For tickets, visit www.eventbrite.com. The Frida Kahlo Theater is located at 2332 W. Fourth Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90057.